


The Aquarium

by smolalienbee



Series: Elijah Kamski's demons [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: And talk, Anxiety, Canon Related, Canon Universe, Character Study, Comfort, Connor and Elijah go on a cute date, Feelings, Fluff, Future, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Introspection, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Overworking, Past Abuse, Post Peaceful Route, Post-Canon, Quiet, Slow Build, Social Anxiety, Talking, also Elijah and Connor are both very soft in this sorry not sorry, basically nothing much happens, fun fun fun, there's a few glimpses into Elijah's thoughts, this is just talking and walking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 12:28:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15863625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smolalienbee/pseuds/smolalienbee
Summary: A while after the androids marched through the city of Detroit, everyone's working hard to get everything back in order. Jericho is being rebuild while Elijah Kamski is taking control of Cyberlife's facilities. But even the most busy of humans and androids need to take a break sometimes and that's how Elijah and Connor find themselves at the quiet aquarium.





	The Aquarium

**Author's Note:**

> Ye ye ye, I wrote something that actually has some sort of lenght, unbelievable. So this is basically a one shot where nothing really happens, there's just a lot of walking and talking with bits and pieces of Elijah's thoughts and memories. Kind of a look into Elijah's life and how Detroit looks like a while after the androids won over the humans' hearts with a song. Loosely based on a roleplay I once had

Elijah rarely left his house. He felt more at peace staying away from the city, watching the snow fall from the large windows, the Chloes being the only company he had.

Yet somehow he found himself standing in front of the aquarium, watching people pass him by on the sidewalk. Wearing casual clothes, sunglasses and a cap, just to be sure he wouldn't be recognized. He didn't want to be, didn't want to hear the gasps or see the disgusted looks on people's faces.

He perked up a little as he noticed a cab approaching. There it was. The reason he was here in the first place.

 

RK800

#313 248 317

 

_**Connor** _

 

Admittedly, going to the aquarium was Elijah's idea. But it was Connor who so stubbornly insisted that he should get out more. Something about it being good for his mental health and how it'd make interacting with media and the staff at Cyberlife easier. Kamski knew he was right. After the revolution, Cyberlife was falling apart and Elijah was fed up with it all. He had given up on the company and his creations once, but now he was going to take the matters back into his own hands and make sure he wouldn't repeat his mistakes.

And well, now he had people that wouldn't allow him to give up.

He tilted his chin up, taking a few steps towards the car which was now standing on the side of the road. A small smile lingering on his lips as his eyes met those warm, brown ones.

“Hello, Elijah.”

“It's good to see you, Connor. It's been a while.”

After the androids walked through Detroit on the night of November 11th, a lot of things had changed. Not just in the world, but in Elijah himself, too. He had watched the whole ordeal on TV. After leaving Cyberlife, he usually avoided any kind of news. He didn't want to see his own face or listen to some made up scientists try to analyze him and his work. It was Chloe that turned on the news that day, correctly assuming that he'd want to see it.

 

_Hold on just a little while longer_

_Hold on just a little while longer_

_Everything will be alright_

 

Listening to the androids sing, something in Elijah broke.

He was brought back to the days when he was a teenager, still so passionate about what he was doing. Fascinated by the idea of living machines. Ambitious. Trusting. And so, so very naive.

The day when he first heard Chloe speak.

Then the day when he created RK200.

 

_**Markus** _

 

Seeing such a familiar face leading the revolution didn't make Elijah's internal struggles any easier. With ease, he could recall the day he gifted the android to Carl. The painter was more than happy to take the prototype in. Kamski knew that Manfred would take good care of him. It was no surprise to see that Markus was the leader of the whole android movement. Who else if not the one treated like a son by a kind and intelligent man such as Carl Manfred?

That was probably one of the reasons why he decided to try and take control of Cyberlife once again.

That and seeing with his own eyes how a certain deviant hunter crumbled mentally just at the mere suggestion of being a deviant. The fear and confusion in the android's eyes. It made Elijah feel bad for ever abandoning any of them. Cyberlife's last chance to save humanity? Or maybe the androids' last chance to be free?

Their second meeting was at Cyberlife's headquarters. Having taken control of all the facilities again, Kamski knew whose help he so desperately needed. He didn't feel comfortable reaching out to Markus directly, so instead he contacted Connor. Back then, he didn't think the two of them would ever grow this close. But as it turned out, they were more similar to each other than Elijah would like to admit. Connor reminded him of who he was before he had to quickly grow up and was forcefully turned into a god.

And now, the android was standing next to him, watching him expectantly. It really wasn't the best time to be getting lost in thought. Connor opened his mouth, but Elijah spoke up before he could voice his concerns.

“Shall we?” he gestured towards the door. Connor looked between him and the entrance, before he gave the smallest smile and a nod.

They headed inside, pausing just so that Elijah could hold the door for Connor, letting him through. He followed right behind him, at the same time taking the sunglasses off. Meanwhile, the android took a look around the hall, speaking up without turning towards him.

“It seems empty.”

“They closed an hour ago. I made a significant donation, so they were happy to keep it open longer for us,” Elijah explained with a small shrug, walking up to him. “It's just us, the aquariums and the fish.”

Connor hummed, looking over at him. “Just the way you like it?”

Elijah laughed quietly at that, though it wasn't like he could deny it. “We can start from here. It doesn't seem to have changed much since the last time I've been here,” he gestured in a direction, raising an eyebrow in a silent question. A small nod as an answer and then they were walking.

“So you've been here before?” Connor inquired curiously.

“Of course. I've lived in Detroit my whole life, you know that. We had school trips here.”

A moment of silence passed between them as they approached one of the tanks. Both of them turned towards it, their eyes following the colorful fish swimming inside. Free in their captivity. It reminded Elijah too much of something.

“Why did you suggest coming here?” Connor broke his train of thought again.

While the android's eyes were firmly locked on the water and anything inside it, even when he spoke to the man next to him, Kamski didn't mind. He knew how Connor's brain ticked, he knew he needed to remain focused on something to be able to keep up a conversation. It was a way to keep his mind from drifting off. After all, he was an advanced model that could run millions of calculations and analyses in a matter of seconds. And Elijah knew very well what it was like to have a mind that run so quickly that it was impossible to keep up with it. It was one of those things the two of them had in common.

“You seemed excited about it the last time we spoke,” he explained simply, keeping his gaze on Connor for a moment. Still unable to fully believe that the two of them could stand so casually next to each other.

“Oh. You're right. I do find fish to be fascinating.”

Elijah smiled a little at the android's response. He admired Connor's ability to be captivated by such simple and common creatures.

“So how have you been?” he decided to keep the conversation going, directing his gaze towards the aquarium. Neither of them were good at small talk, so it wasn't uncommon for them to remain in complete silence unless they had some pressing matters to discuss. “How's that task force coming along?”

“It's-” a small pause, a flash of yellow reflecting off the glass as the android's LED changed in thought. “It's alright, I'd say. We're constantly busy; there's a lot to do now. And I've become a link between Jericho and the DPD, so I often have to relay information between Markus and the Captain. I spend a lot of time at both Jericho and at the station.”

Elijah nodded slowly, taking a few steps to move to another tank.

“I do hope you're taking some time off to breathe. Metaphorically speaking, of course.” He was well aware of the android's tendency to overwork himself. He couldn't blame him – he knew how much guilt Connor shouldered, all of it caused by what he did as a machine. “You were built to withstand high stress, but that doesn't mean you don't need to relax once in a while. Not to mention you're still at risk of self destructing if your stress levels are too high.”

Connor approached one of the tanks, raising his hand up and trailing his fingers over the glass, following one of the fish.

“I'm aware, Elijah,” he responded quietly. “I keep an eye on my stress levels to make sure I don't malfunction. It would be- unfortunate for everyone involved if I was not in working order.”

Elijah sighed softly at the android's words. It frustrated him, sometimes, the way Connor spoke about himself as if he was still just a machine, designed purely to serve others. He didn't have time to speak up about it before Connor was continuing.

“Besides- I think you still forget that you don't even listen to your own advice,” Elijah didn't forget. He always knew he was horrible at it. “I didn't need to run a scan on you to notice the eyebags. Though the scan did provide even more information on how unhealthy your sleeping habits have been getting again.”

Connor earned himself an eye roll, though it was clear his concern got to Elijah. The man wouldn't look at him, as if worried the android's eyes were on him, always analyzing, processing. Elijah hated it when people tried to look through him. He was convinced Connor was still watching the fish, but better safe than sorry.

“You said it yourself. Everyone's busy. Even me. Cyberlife's a mess and you know how much I hate cleaning.”

“Is that really all there is to it?”

Kamski let out a heavy sigh, turning so that Connor couldn't see his face. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. He swore he could feel holes being bored into his back by the android's analytical gaze as they moved ahead and into the next room. Sometimes, he cursed the damn guy for knowing him so well.

“I may like solitude, but I'm still not really used to living in an empty house, I guess,” he admitted after a moment.

Once in a while, the silence got to him. That's why he kept the Chloes around – but when Jericho was being rebuild, they expressed their wish to go there and join the other androids. Elijah didn't have the heart to force them to stay. Of course, they seemed worried about him, but he waved it off, assured them he'd be okay.

Was he really okay, though? Alone with his thoughts, day in, day out?

He couldn't let it bother him if he wanted to be of any use.

“I can understand that,” Connor nodded in agreement. “No matter how much you enjoy the quiet, silence can often be... unsettling. I know that feeling.”

As Connor furrowed his brows, Elijah was pretty sure he was trying to recall the emotion. He could see the circle on his temple turn to red for a brief second before going back to blue. He stared at the android for a few seconds before shaking his head slightly.

“Let's keep on going. Sharks should be up ahead. Those were always my favorite.”

He hoped that would pique Connor's curiosity enough so that the topic of his health would be forgotten, at least for now. It seemed to be working, he concluded, as he saw one of his brows rise up.

“Your favorite? Any particular reason why?” he queried as they wandered into the next room. Ominous shadows slid across the floor as the sharks swam around.

“Those school trips I mentioned? None of the other kids wanted to come in here. Something about the sharks' eyes being creepy.” They also said the same thing about his eyes, he recalled. Cold blue eyes that were too piercing and emotionless. “It was always dark and quiet in here, unlike any other room where everyone was running around and yelling. I always found watching the sharks to be relaxing.”

He was never fond of school trips. Or school in general. Too many people, too loud. It was impossible to focus , not to mention he could never really get along with others his age. He usually stood off to the side and ended up being observed like one of those sharks swimming in a tank.

“That does explain it,” Connor murmured, approaching him to get a better look at the creatures in the water.

They stood like that for a moment, in a dark room lit by just a few lamps. Their heads tilted back as they watched the sharks circle around, shadows skimming over their skin whenever they passed by.

“I think people are afraid of them because they don't understand them.”

Elijah snorted softly at that, a small smile playing in the corners of his lips.

“That sounds a lot like something you said about me once,” he pointed out, amused.

Connor thought it through for a moment before nodding.

“Because it's true,” he responded. “I stand by what I said – people are intimidated by you and they don't take the time to actually get to know you. It is... certainly their loss.”

Elijah's expression softened as he listened to the android. He watched him for a bit, a rather fond look on his face. Connor was most likely unaware that there were eyes on him, as he still kept his own on the water in front of him.

“We should really stop talking about me,” Kamski eventually spoke up, taking a step and moving back, away from the tank. His shoulder bumped into Connor's as he turned. “I know I'm apparently supposed to have a god complex, but that doesn't mean I actually enjoy being the center of attention.”

Connor tilted his head to follow Elijah with his gaze, his expression immediately turning to one of concern. His face made it obvious how bad he felt and Kamski stared at it briefly before having to look away. He couldn't handle that puppy dog look.

"I apologize, Elijah- I didn't mean to make you uncomfo-”

“You didn't do anything, Connor,” Kamski cut in, not letting him finish.

He put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. He turned his head again, their faces close as he looked at the android.

„Let's just change the topic, alright?” He suggested, lingering for a second longer before tentatively pulling away. He strolled forward, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Connor was keeping up.

„So how's living with the lieutenant going for you, hm?”

Connor was visibly taken aback by the direction in which Elijah took the conversation, several emotions passing over his face before he settled on something soft and warm.

„It's... quite nice,” he said. „Hank is incredibly patient with me. And I take Sumo on walks. A lot of walks. Hank has started to complain about having to follow us around every time.” A gentle laugh left him and the sound made Kamski smile as well.

He enjoyed seeing the android become more and more expressive. Connor struggled with it for a while. While he was built to fit in with humans, to imitate human emotion, he wasn't used to expressing it genuinely. He could fake it, for sure, and anyone that didn't know him well would believe it; after all, making it believable was a part of his original programming. But for a while, whenever he was being sincere, Connor had this detached look on his face, certainly quite off putting for some people. Elijah was happy to watch the change in the android happen.

 

His face getting softer.

His eyes brighter.

His laugh warmer.

 

Finally truly _**alive**._

 

Those small moments were what made it all worth it, in the end. After all of the struggles, all the sleepless nights, unfinished meals, the panic attacks, the tears... There was something good to come out of it all. In the back of his mind, Elijah reminded himself that if it wasn't for him, this delicate laughter would've never happened. And for a short moment, he could feel a little better about himself.

But those moments never lasted long and soon enough he was being brought back to reality.

„It's... getting pretty late,” Connor, as he often did, pulled Elijah out of his thoughts.

They were passing by yet another aquarium, filled with various brightly colored fish that Kamski didn't know the names of. He had to physically keep himself from sighing. He shuddered mentally at the thought of going back to the eerie silence of his house.

„You're right,” he hummed. „You've probably got to take Sumo on the evening walk, huh?” He teased with a small smile, though his eyes didn't match the emotion his lips were supposed to convey.

„Hank would be worried if I stayed out too late,” Connor responded, his tone much more serious compared to Elijah's. „I- can see where his concern is coming from, considering the increasing rate of assaults on androids.”

„Humans are such... complicated creatures. You've just been recognized as living beings and there are steps being taken to make sure crimes against you are being punished appropriately. And yet, at the same time, the numbers of such crimes happening go up. It doesn't make any sense, when you really think about it,” he huffed, shaking his head.

„A lot of people are just afraid,” Connor pointed out as they turned to head back towards the entrance. „It may not make sense, but I can understand why they lash out so much.”

„You're far too forgiving.”

„I wouldn't say I'm forgiving. Compassionate would perhaps be a more fitting word to describe me.”

Elijah quirked his lips at that, amused. He glanced at the android out of the corner of his eyes.

„Or maybe both?”

„...both is also quite likely,” Connor reluctantly agreed. „But I don't like making judgements about myself.”

Elijah didn't say anything to that. Both of them fell into a comfortable silence as they slowly made their way to the exit. Their steps dragged out, slow, as if they both subconsciously wanted the walk back to take much longer than needed. It was no use, though, as eventually they had to get outside, no matter how careful and calculated their steps would be. As they stepped out, Elijah slowly breathed in, tipping his head back to get a look at the sky. It was dark already, stars littering the sky. His eyes slowly glided over some of them. He couldn't recognize any of the galaxies, but he had always enjoyed seeing the night sky. Especially away from the city, where the light pollution didn't make it so hard to make out the little shining balls.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Connor stopping and looking over at him. Those brown eyes focused entirely on him. Elijah briefly wondered if Connor realized that he noticed. He slowly turned his head to meet the android's gaze.

„Enjoying the view?” he asked jokingly.

„No, I was just... thinking,” Connor responded quietly, which didn't really surprise Kamski. The android had a tendency to take things too seriously.

„What about?”

„...you.”

Elijah opened his mouth, then closed it. The action was repeated once more, the man obviously at a loss for words. It wasn't often, but even he was sometimes taken aback by Connor's raw honesty.

Noticing his hesitation, the android spoke up again,

„I really enjoyed our time together tonight.”

Elijah took a second to gather himself before his face brightened up with a sincere smile.

„Yes. It was certainly enjoyable, all thanks to the wonderful company I had.”

„So you don't regret having to go out?”

„Did you really think I'd regret it?”

„I... considered it as one of the many possible outcomes for this evening.”

Elijah sighed, stepping closer to Connor. He put a hand on his shoulder, his thumb rubbing small circles into it.

„I really do enjoy your company, Connor. I feel... comfortable around you. You didn't have to worry.”

Connor looked like he was about to say something, but a sound of two cars approaching cut him off. Two cabs parked on the sidewalk, near the pair standing there. Elijah took a quick look at them before glancing back towards the android.

„You thought of everything, huh?”

„I... figured you didn't call a car. So I decided I may as well order cabs for both of us.”

The corners of Elijah's eyes crinkled, a warm smile on his face. Yet again, it was those small things that really got him. Those small signs of Connor's care.

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to the android's cheek. From an outside perspective, it must've been amusing to watch them in that moment. Neither of them was used to giving or receiving physical affection. Slowly, they were growing accustomed to it – their reactions certainly weren't as bad as the first time Elijah had the brilliant idea to kiss Connor's hand. Though the android was definitely handling the touches better than Kamski initially had been, those years ago when he went on the first date in his whole life. First and one of the few in general. A girl tried to peck his lips and he pushed her away immediately. Pushed her and ran off, unable to look her in the eye, nervous and overwhelmed by something seemingly so trivial.

But now, he was the one initiating it, his lips lingering for a few seconds on Connor's skin. When he pulled back, he could see the android's cheeks had a blue-ish tint to it. Elijah was sure he'd be blushing, too, if only his face was capable of getting heated up. Fortunately for him, his pale complexion made it nearly impossible to go red. Connor smiled faintly at him and Kamski couldn't take his eyes off him.

„I'll see you another time, then, Elijah.”

„Yes. Hopefully soon. I did promise I'd pay a visit to Jericho, after all.”

Connor nodded, taking a step back. Elijah's hand fell from his shoulder.

„I'll be happy to see you there. We'll be in touch.”

This time, the small nod came from Kamski. He exhaled slowly, turning hesitantly towards the cab.

„See you, Connor.”

„You, too, Elijah.”

There were a lot of unspoken words that passed between them in that short exchange. Elijah didn't mind. He trusted Connor could understand what was going through his head even when he didn't say it out loud. And he knew the android had the same kind of trust in him. They worked well that way. Silent, small signs of affection were enough for them. In fact, for Elijah, it was more than he ever thought he could ask for.

 

Being acknowledged and treated like an equal.

Feeling like he belonged.

 

While sitting in the cab, he glanced out of the window to see the other car heading in the opposite direction.

He thought about Connor, returning to a warm home with the lieutenant and his dog waiting for him.

He thought about his own house, empty, cold and quiet.

He sighed to himself. It was about time he got back into music. Anything to fill the silence when a pair of certain brown, warm eyes wasn't around to make it a comfortable one.

 

 


End file.
